Lofty goals reflect lofty standards, and BreeAnna De La Rosa has long held herself in that regard.

De La Rosa, 21, aspires to become an orthopedic surgeon. She said that will require eight additional years of schooling and an encouraging score on the Medical College Admission Test she’s taking this summer. She’s “freaking out” at the moment but remains confident she’s “going to make it” as a doctor.

“I’ve always made my own path when it comes to school,” she said. “I was always the nerdy one of the family.”

The middle child of five siblings, De La Rosa obtained the blueprint for athletic success at an early age. Her older sister was a standout water polo player. Her older brother played baseball. Neither, she said, was all too fond of school.

That’s where De La Rosa set herself apart.

“BreeAnna would always be the last one to go to bed at night,” recalled her mother, Barbara De La Rosa. “She’d always be at the table doing homework, and I’d almost feel bad, being the mother, going to bed and leaving her there.

“She was always very diligent, and I really admire her for having that nature,” she added.

With seven years of softball experience, De La Rosa joined a travel team as a 12-year-old. She was told playing travel ball could lead to a college scholarship. De La Rosa embraced the opportunity, but never lost perspective.

“I knew that I wanted to be the best (on the softball field),” she said. “But I also wanted to be an example for my younger sister and my younger brother.” (The twins are now 18.)

“I wanted to be a good role model for them,” De La Rosa added, “so I understood the importance of getting an education and going to college.”

De La Rosa joined El Dorado High’s softball program in 2007. She was a pitcher and outfielder on varsity and held her own beside teammates and Division I prospects such as Janie Takeda (who went on to play at Oregon) and Jenna Lieber (now playing at Pittsburgh).

De La Rosa lettered four years, passing a bevy of honors courses along the way.

“I always felt like a leader, someone that people looked up to all the time,” she said. “That really pushed me to be a great person. I knew I had that responsibility; not just my teammates were looking up to me, but people watching my games, too.

“I had to conduct myself in a manner that would be respected by anybody.”

When East Coast universities came calling, De La Rosa tabled her childhood dream of playing Division I softball. She preferred to stay local and attend a school that challenged her academically. She declined scholarship offers to instead enroll at the University of La Verne, a Division III school that doesn’t award athletic scholarships.

De La Rosa was the first of her family to attend a four-year university.

“That was a big accomplishment,” she said. “And not just for me, but for my family to know (attending a university) is possible and doable.”

Recruited originally as a pitcher, De La Rosa relinquished that role to play more often. She became an outfielder as a result, and La Verne reaped the benefits. The Leopards won 19 and 25 games, respectively, in De La Rosa’s first two years on the team. She received multiple academic honors, as well.

Slotted primarily in the No. 2 spot in the batting order this season, De La Rosa is second on the team in hits with 23. La Verne is 11-15 overall this spring.

“Softball consumes at least half of my life,” De La Rosa said. “If I’m not out there playing, doing it, then I’m thinking of something we can do better.

“There’s a lot of reflection time. There’s never really a dull moment that I’m not thinking about softball or school.”

De La Rosa said she’s always had good composure and exceptional time-management skills. She’ll need those attributes now more than ever. Her plan is to apply to UC Irvine as a postgraduate. UCI has a heralded medical program and is relatively close to her mother’s Yorba Linda home.

“I’ve watched BreeAnna go through things in her life where she looked like she just wanted to break down,” Barbara De La Rosa said. “And to see her get through all those hard times, I know the rest of her life can’t possibly be as hard.”

Brian Whitehead is a staff reporter at the Orange County Register. Since graduating from Cal State Fullerton in 2010, he has covered high school and college sports and the cities of Buena Park, Fullerton and La Palma.

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